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Barbara Stanwyck stars as a theater actress returning to the small, gossip-ridden town where she abandoned her family ten years earlier. Richard Carlson (It Came from Outer Space, Creature from the Black Lagoon) plays her husband, who is at first angry to see her, but soon warms to the idea of her rejoining the family. The children (Lori Nelson, Marcia Henderson, and Billy Gray) have mixed feelings about Stanwyck’s return. One daughter greets her with great hostility, while another idolizes her. Just as Stanwyck gets used to the idea of staying, an old acquaintance (Lyle Bettger) forcefully interferes and creates a scandal. With the whole town demonizing Stanwyck, and Carlson’s teaching career in jeopardy because of it, can the two reunite their family and weather the community’s scrutiny? Or will Stanwyck be forced into exile?
All I Desire is a melodrama from distinguished director Douglas Sirk (Written on the Wind, Imitation of Life), who brings style and sophistication to a genre that, in lesser hands, can be laughable. While it’s not as complicated or engrossing as some of his other films, All I Desire features a strong performance from Barbara Stanwyck that makes it worthwhile. Stanwyck rides a fine line here, never too regretful of the choices she’s made, or too hopeful that fate is on her side. Marcia Henderson gets the meatiest supporting role as the daughter who quarrels with her. Sirk fans may miss the rich, saturated color of the director’s more famous offerings, and the antagonist’s subplot could be treated with more finesse, but Stanwyck and Carlson are effective enough to make us root for them. The film also bucks a trend with melodramas, daring to end with a pleasant surprise.
With Maureen O’Sullivan and Richard Long.